We know what CLT20 is all about: T&T coach

Playing for the final time in the CLT20 as a country, Trinidad and Tobago will be eager to make their second appearance in the final of the tournament and finish it off in style. But for that to happen, the Caribbean side, who entered the semis after defeating Chennai, will have to repeat their giant-killer act when they face the star-studded Mumbai team in the second semi-final at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.

T&T coach David Williams is confident that his team will do well, mentioning that they have always performed to the best of their ability in all the editions of the CLT20 they have played in and the team is aware of the standard they need produce to win the all-important game against Mumbai.

"We've always been a team that plays well together. We have a history in this tournament and we've given a good account of ourselves right since the first edition. We know what the CLT20 is all about and we know what standard we need to produce to win. The guys have really come out here and played tremendous cricket so far and we're just one game away from the final. We're just happy to be in a position that we are in," Williams said.

Apart from the 2009 edition of the CLT20, Trinidad have always missed star players like Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo. Coach Williams though reckons that it has not made much difference to the Trinidad side as youngsters like Evin Lewis have grabbed the opportunity in the absence of the senior players and have performed well on the big stage.

"When you have the likes of Evin Lewis come to the party and perform as well as he did, it helps the team in the absence of big players. You expect your senior players to do well but when the juniors stand up too, that's an addition. Yes, we miss Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Kevon Cooper is gone now too. But we're used to it now as it's been happening to us for years. The other guys are stepping up to the plate and that's good news for us," Williams said.

The coach mentioned that the presence of Sunil Narine is a big advantage for the T&T side as oppositions tend to play him out, and in trying to up the ante against the other bowlers, they end up losing wickets.

"The opposition always looks to play Narine out and not give him a wicket. So, his four overs are very crucial and it puts a lot of pressure on the batting side. They try and take the advantage off the other bowlers and lose wickets in doing so," he said.

Williams said the T&T side's biggest strength is their bowling line-up, which also has quality international players like Samuel Badree and Ravi Rampaul apart from Narine.

"We have three bowlers - Samuel Badree, Ravi Rampaul and Sunil Narine - who were part of the T20 WC winning West Indies side. With 12 overs up their sleeves among themselves, we are generally confident of defending 150-160."

Trinidad and Tobago emerged comfortable victors in their previous match against Chennai in Delhi, which is the also venue for the second semis and Williams said the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch feels similar to some of the pitches back in the Caribbean.

"This pitch is more like home; we're accustomed to that sort of low bounce and skiddy pitch and we prefer to play the big game here."

Trinidad and Tobago are the only non-Indian team in the knock-out stage and the coach said getting to the semis in itself was a big achievement considering that not many gave them a chance before the tournament started.

"Many people didn't give us a chance to be here. Getting into the semi-final in itself is a big achievement for us and irrespective of what happens now, I'll still be very, very proud of my guys," Williams said.

Sachin Tendulkar bid farewell to Mumbai after his side gave him a fitting tribute by beating Rajasthan in the final of the World T20 League in New Delhi. The little master hinted at a future role with the Mumbai franchise.

Pravin Tambe impressed one and all with his stupendous performance in the World T20 League, ending the tournament with the Golden Wicket (The leading wicket-taker of the League). He defied all odds and his age and bamboozled the opposition batsmen with his guile and spin.